Further dissemination and recognition

The four site-performances had a direct impact on the congregation and helped to build links with the local community and interfaith groups. The project also provided a platform for groups such as Everyday Muslims, the Muslim Council of Britain, the Inclusive Mosque Initiative and Inter Faith Network UK to build links and create a sense of solidarity with Brick Lane Mosque and Old Kent Road Mosque. 

The research findings were exhibited internationally at the Venice Architecture Biennale and shared internationally at conferences and journals within the fields of performance, architecture, arts and religion and arts and society. 

Talks and presentations  

Marsh, J, Assembly site performance at Brick Lane Mosque, artist talk at Close-Up Cinema, 2018 

Marsh, J, Investigating the Interface Between Muslim Prayer Sites and Artistic Interventions, Fourteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society, Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon, 2019 

Marsh, J, Exploring the Interface Between Art and Sacred Spaces, Sacred, Spiritual, Secular Conference, School of Architecture, University of Westminster, 2019 

Marsh, J, Assembly: Site-specific research and practice, Sensing Site: a conference on artist fieldwork, Central Saint Martins, 2019 

Marsh, J, Virtual Assembly, at Old Kent Road Mosque for Visit My Mosque 2020, organised by the Muslim Council of Britain

Marsh, J (2020) Assembly: Performing the materiality of Muslim prayer spaces, Scene 6, Intellect

Marsh, J. Saleem, S., Turner, C. and Kilgallon, E. (ed.) 2021. British Mosques. Foolscap Editions

CreatorsMarsh, J.
Description

Made in collaboration with the different mosque congregations, Assembly uses a programmed device mounted on a six-metre motorised rig. Gliding back and forth on the rig, the device is both “recorder” and “player”: at the end of a shoot, the camera is replaced by a projector and the “film” is ready for playback. The work does more than reproduce prayer: it also “performs” the social and religious structures of the site, making evocative use of 5.1 surround sound to create an uncanny experience. Mapped precisely to the mosque floor, the projected image of the carpet disappears into the real carpet. And the congregation, returning as observers, watch ghostly illusions of themselves at prayer.
Created and projected in each one of four mosques, Assembly enhanced the congregation’s self-awareness of the act of worship. The project highlights the social and architectural diversity of mosques in Britain, raising questions about social boundaries, while creating an opportunity for mosques to connect with the wider community.
The Venice installation of Assembly will include five films and interviews generated by the Assembly project, plus detailed 3D scans of Old Kent Road and Brick Lane mosques. Both films and scans will enter the V&A collection as permanent digital artefacts as a record of a significant period of informal religious architecture.

Portfolio itemsSite-integrity: a dynamic exchange between site, artist, device and audience
Assembly: Performing the materiality of Muslim prayer spaces
Virtual Assembly
2021 Venice Architecture Biennale - Three British Mosques/Assembly
British Mosques
Year2020
PublisherUniversity of Westminster
Web address (URL)https://vimeo.com/showcase/8120594/
KeywordsCREAM Portfolio
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.34737/v844y

Portfolio items

Site-integrity: a dynamic exchange between site, artist, device and audience
Marsh, J. 2019. Site-integrity: a dynamic exchange between site, artist, device and audience. Journal for Artistic Research. Issue 19 19. https://doi.org/10.22501/jar.596787

Assembly: Performing the materiality of Muslim prayer spaces
Marsh, J. 2018. Assembly: Performing the materiality of Muslim prayer spaces. Scene. 6 (2), pp. 133-151. https://doi.org/10.1386/scene_00014_1

Virtual Assembly
Marsh, J. 2021. Virtual Assembly .

2021 Venice Architecture Biennale - Three British Mosques/Assembly
Marsh, J. 2020. 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale - Three British Mosques/Assembly. VENICE ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE May - Sep 2021

British Mosques
Marsh, J. Saleem, S., Turner, C. and Kilgallon, E. (ed.) 2021. British Mosques. Foolscap Editions.

Related outputs

Assembly: Investigating the Role That Artist Fieldwork Can Play in Islamic Sites of Worship
Marsh, Julie 2024. Assembly: Investigating the Role That Artist Fieldwork Can Play in Islamic Sites of Worship. Architecture and Culture. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/20507828.2024.2336325

Performing the Symbiotic Relationship Between the Adapted Mosque and its Congregation
Marsh, J. 2024. Performing the Symbiotic Relationship Between the Adapted Mosque and its Congregation. in: Lamb, T. and Wang, C. (ed.) Negotiating Identities, Language and Migration in Global London: Bridging Borders, Creating Spaces London Multilingual Matters. pp. 170-186

Site-integrity: An embedded and embodied approach to practice-based research
Marsh, J. 2023. Site-integrity: An embedded and embodied approach to practice-based research. Scene. 11 (1-2), pp. 7-20. https://doi.org/10.1386/scene_00061_1

Virtual Assembly
Marsh, J. 2021. Virtual Assembly .

British Mosques
Marsh, J. Saleem, S., Turner, C. and Kilgallon, E. (ed.) 2021. British Mosques. Foolscap Editions.

Jamaat at Harrow Mosque (2020)
Marsh, J. 2020. Jamaat at Harrow Mosque (2020). Harrow Mosque 16 - 16 Oct 2020

Jamaat at Old Kent Road Mosque (2019-20)
Marsh, J. 2020. Jamaat at Old Kent Road Mosque (2019-20) . 20 Jun 2020

2021 Venice Architecture Biennale - Three British Mosques/Assembly
Marsh, J. 2020. 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale - Three British Mosques/Assembly. VENICE ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE May - Sep 2021

Site-integrity: a dynamic exchange between site, artist, device and audience
Marsh, J. 2019. Site-integrity: a dynamic exchange between site, artist, device and audience. Journal for Artistic Research. Issue 19 19. https://doi.org/10.22501/jar.596787

Assembly: catalogue of research findings
Marsh, J. 2019. Assembly: catalogue of research findings. London Shelter Press, France.

Jamaat at Brick Lane Mosque (2018-9)
Marsh, J. 2018. Jamaat at Brick Lane Mosque (2018-9) . Brick Lane Mosque Oct - Nov 2018

Assembly: Performing the materiality of Muslim prayer spaces
Marsh, J. 2018. Assembly: Performing the materiality of Muslim prayer spaces. Scene. 6 (2), pp. 133-151. https://doi.org/10.1386/scene_00014_1

Assembly: Artist Talk at Closeup Film Centre
Marsh, J. 2018. Assembly: Artist Talk at Closeup Film Centre. Julie Marsh.

Salat at Birmingham Central Mosque (2016-17)
Marsh, J. 2017. Salat at Birmingham Central Mosque (2016-17). Birmingham Central Mosque 06 - 06 May 2016

Lokomotywownia (2016)
Marsh, J. 2017. Lokomotywownia (2016). Płaszów, Poland 10 - 24 Feb 2017

Assembly: performing the materiality of Muslim prayer spaces
Marsh, J. 2016. Assembly: performing the materiality of Muslim prayer spaces. University of Westminster.

Pestera (2015)
Marsh, J. 2015. Pestera (2015). Atelier Contemporary Art Space, Bucharest 21 - 28 Jul 2017

Permalink - https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/portfolio/v844y/assembly


Artist’s talk: Julie Marsh with guest speaker Naima Khan, from the Inclusive Mosque Initiative
Artist’s talk: Julie Marsh with guest speaker Naima Khan, from the Inclusive Mosque Initiative
Faith on Film panel discussion: Julie Marsh, Shahed Saleem, Rashidat Hassan, Olawlde Hassan and Hassan Vawda
Faith on Film panel discussion: Julie Marsh, Shahed Saleem, Rashidat Hassan, Olawlde Hassan and Hassan Vawda